May 13, 2023 4:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — One outcome is clear as Washington reaches for a budget deal to end the debt ceiling standoff: The ambitious COVID era of government spending is giving way to a new focus on stemming deficits. As President Joe Biden and congressional leaders prepare to meet again next week, staff are working on a budget deal. The White House has threatened to veto Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling bill with its “devastating cuts” to federal programs. But the administration has signaled a willingness to consider other budget caps. It’s a turnaround from just a few years ago, when Congress passed trillions in emergency aid to halt the pandemic and rebuild the U.S. economy.
May 13, 2023 4:24 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — A man who police say made terroristic threats at Pittsburgh International Airport is fighting to be released from jail, after a district judge issued him an ROR bond. Judge Edward Borkowski will ultimately make the decision. Around two dozen of Hossein Dehnavifard’s family members and friends came from Philadelphia and Erie to the Allegheny County Courthouse to support him, after police say he made threats that grounded an American Airlines plane on Wednesday. He was in court after Magistrate Xander Orenstein initially said Hossein could be released on his own recognizance, which means he could be released from jail with posting bail. To prevent that from happening, a motions hearing was added to his case. An American Airlines gate attendant testified that Hossein was late to the gate for his flight to Philly, which would eventually head to Iran. When he missed the time to board, the attendant testified that Hossein said that the plane couldn’t leave without him because he had a bomb in his luggage. His defense attorney is arguing he should be released on house arrest, and that he’s not a flight risk. He also thinks there was a miscommunication.
May 13, 2023 4:17 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — The City of Pittsburgh is preparing for asylum seekers to come on Greyhound buses. There’s very limited information on who they are and where they’re coming from, only that they could arrive sometime this weekend. They’re preparing to give people a safe place here at the convention center. Pittsburgh police are monitoring the Greyhound bus station and the convention center in preparation for a group of asylum seekers. Officials say a group of approximately 1200 is expected to arrive in Pittsburgh sometime this weekend. These are not asylum seekers being directly brought from the border, which got national attention as the pandemic-era immigration policy called Title 42 ended Thursday. Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration says the group of asylum seekers expected here is coming from a detention facility, but they don’t know which one. The group will be welcomed into the convention center staffed by volunteers from multiple non-profits.
May 12, 2023 5:19 pm
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho jury has convicted Lori Vallow Daybell in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival. The verdict marks the end of a three-year investigation that included bizarre claims of zombie children, apocalyptic prophesies and illicit affairs. Prosecutors charged Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, with multiple counts of conspiracy, murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of Vallow Daybell’s two youngest children: 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, in September 2019. Prosecutors also charged the couple in connection with the October 2019 death of Chad Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell.
May 12, 2023 10:14 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say they have captured one of two inmates who escaped Sunday night from a Philadelphia prison. A U.S. Marshals Service official says a fugitive task force was conducting surveillance in an area of North Philadelphia where they believed 24-year-old Nasir Grant was staying Thursday night and they saw him leave a residence dressed as a woman. He was stopped in a car nearby and arrested without incident. The search continues for Ameen Hurst. The 18-year-old was facing four counts of murder when he and Grant cut through a fence and escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correction Center. Authorities say the men were aided by a woman in the city who was arrested Wednesday and has been charged with escape and conspiracy.
May 12, 2023 4:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Joe Biden’s follow-up meeting with congressional leaders on averting a potential debt default has been postponed until next week. The meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the other leaders was originally set for this Friday. Staff level talks have been progressing privately for the past two days over a separate budget deal that could ease the debt ceiling vote. The White House said those conversations will continue over the weekend. But McCarthy said there’s not enough progress.
May 12, 2023 4:29 am
Elon Musk says he has found a new CEO for Twitter, or X Corp. as it’s now called. Musk did not name the person but said she will be starting in about six weeks. Musk bought Twitter last fall and has been running it since but has been insisting he is not the company’s permanent CEO. The Tesla billionaire said in a tweet Thursday that his role will transition to being executive chairman and chief technology officer. Musk, though, has made announcements in the past that he did not follow through on.
May 12, 2023 4:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale prices in the United States rose modestly last month, the latest sign that inflationary pressures may be easing more than a year after the Federal Reserve unleashed an aggressive campaign of steadily higher interest rates. From March to April, the government’s producer price index rose just 0.2% after falling 0.4% from February to March, held down by falling prices for food, transportation and warehousing. Compared with a year earlier, wholesale prices rose just 2.3% last month, the 10th straight slowdown and the lowest figure since January 2021. The index reflects prices charged by manufacturers, farmers and wholesalers. It can provide an early sign of how fast consumer inflation will rise.
May 12, 2023 4:27 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Marine veteran who used a fatal chokehold on an agitated New York City subway passenger was freed from custody hours after surrendering on a manslaughter charge. Daniel Penny appeared in court hours after turning himself in at a police station after prosecutors said they were charging him in the May 1 death of Jordan Neely. The 24-year-old did not enter a plea. Prosecutors said they are seeking a grand jury indictment. A judge authorized Penny’s release on bond following a brief arraignment. A judge ordered him to surrender his passport and not to leave New York without approval.
May 12, 2023 4:26 am
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Pandemic-related asylum restrictions that expelled migrants millions of times have ended in a shift that threatens to put a historic strain on the nation’s beleaguered immigration system. The change came early Friday after migrants raced to enter the United States before the new restrictions set in. Meanwhile, the administration was dealt a potentially serious legal setback when a federal judge temporarily blocked its attempt to release migrants more quickly when Border Patrol holding stations are full. Misinformation and confusion buffeted migrants as they paced the border at the Rio Grande, often unsure of where to go or what to do next.
